It seems that Beanish is taking the next step in educating the Cuties.

This will be the first generation of Beans that were not brought up directly under the tutelage of Mr. Spook. This is a good move - the hero may not always have time to teach the kids, and the hero might even die, so the rest of the village needs to know how to teach them.

(Perhaps Mr. Spook will soon have more responsibilities, such as fighting off other waves of intruders and inter-reality protection rackets...)

So the Cuties will not receive all of their guidance from a dazed, accidental hero, but also from a group of slightly less confused elders, each with differing perspectives and objectives. Beanworld, and Bean culture, are likely to enter Interesting Times as a result. The Beans that break out in this generation will be something to watch for. Beanworld's first aerospace engineer? Radio technician? Diplomat?

I think that little ball at the top is one of those unknown things that Proffy found in a box in the Fix-It shop that the Cuties were using to represent chow in their playing back in #21. I'm curious if it's just meant to represent chow in here or if we'll actually find out what those things are in "Here There".

There is more than a little bit of Charlie Brown in Beanish sometimes. Bob definitely got the gist of what's going on in the illo.And JJA's eloquent ponderings are quite close to my own. Needless to say, these themes are central to “Here There.” By the end of the book you will know a LOT more then you do today. And, of course, the ground work (new mysteries) for the next books will have been carefully put onto paper. (Okay so maybe not always so carefully, I need surprises too!)

Not having the books to hand, I don't think i've ever seen bent slats or sliced hoops before. If that's right then their engineering and science of the four realities must be coming on in leaps and bounds.